Lewin, Kurt (1890–1947): The Practical Theorist

Few social scientists can have received the level of praise and admiration that has been heaped upon Kurt Lewin. Edward Tolman, one of the most distinguished psychologists of his day, put his contribution to psychology on a par with that of Sigmund Freud (Tolman E, Psychol Rev 55:1–4, 1948). The distinguished scholar Edgar Schein called Lewin “the intellectual father of contemporary theories of applied behavioural science” (1988, p. 239). Recently, the Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman declared that “We are all Lewinians now” (2013, p. viii). Tributes such as these, from such distinguished figures, show that Lewin made an outstanding and enduring contribution to the field of psychology. He is now best known for his work in the field of organizational change, but, as this chapter will show, he had a wider agenda aimed at resolving social conflict. Among the main factors that influenced and motivated his work were his application of Gestalt psychology to child psychology and the impact of the anti-Semitism he encountered growing up and working in Germany. On moving to the USA, he gravitated from studying child psychology in the laboratory to bringing about social and organizational change in the real world. His key contributions were the creation of planned change, his work on participative management, and countering religious and racial discrimination. He was also responsible for establishing important institutions, such as the National Training Laboratories and the Research Center for Group Dynamics. Lewin’s lasting legacy consists not just of his groundbreaking scholarly work but also of his example as a “practical theorist” who wanted to make the world a better place.